September 19th, 2029, 12:33 PM
Detention Center
Visitor's Room
Athena stood in the bland, gray room and stared off into space past the bulletproof glass that separated visitors from defendants. She played with her earring as she pondered what questions she should ask in her upcoming discussion with Charity.
Next to her was a young woman slightly younger than her. Trucy Wright, the adopted daughter of her boss, Phoenix Wright. Though she was the youngest member of the agency, she was technically the owner, though she never really exercised as much authority on her dad or Athena. They both handled law, while Trucy did showbiz. Trucy was pretty much the sole reason why their office was called the Wright Anything Agency.
Trucy herself was normally a fairly upbeat and energetic girl with an unparalleled work ethic. She was a rising star with skills in practical magic, puppeteering, and ventriloquism. Her father had always called her a genius, and recently many people around the country had begun to say that about her as well.
Right now, she was wearing most of her usual magician's outfit, something that she always did, as she found it comfortable. It consisted of a black dress and a blue cape with a playing card motif on the end that was clasped together by a green diamond-shaped brooch. Around her waist was a strap that held a blue and white heart-shaped handbag. Around her neck was a red scarf, and on her left ear was a gold-colored diamond-shaped earring. The one part of her uniform currently missing was her signature blue top hat, an omission that allowed the casual observer to notice her shiny brown hair, as well as two small strands of hair that stuck out on top of her head.
Trucy was normally a very alert and sharp person, so it was weird to see her as she was now: her eyes buried in a book, completely oblivious to the rest of the world. Athena recognized what she was reading: a small black journal that held the secrets to all of the tricks of Troupe Gramarye, which she inherited from her grandfather, who used to run the troupe.
Athena wanted to converse with her, but she seemed so invested in what she was reading that she couldn't bring herself to bring up a topic of discussion. Instead, she opted to turn on Widget, which displayed a holographic screen in front of her. She began scrolling through the evidence that was presented at Blake's trial, seeing if she could draw any new conclusions.
As she was looking through the evidence, a notification appeared on the hologram. She tapped it and saw that she had a message from her boss.
Athena leaned over to Trucy. "Hey Trucy, Mr. Wright said that a friend of his will be taking us to the crime scene at 1:30, so we won't have to pay for public transportation."
Trucy flinched and looked at Athena. "Oh! That was nice of them!"
Athena typed out a quick reply of thanks as the door on the other side of the bulletproof glass opened.
"Here's the defendant, sorry for the wait." a voice called out.
Athena turned off Widget and Trucy put away the journal. She saw a guard escorting Charity into the visitor's room. Once inside, Charity walked over to the chair while the guard stood by the door, becoming motionless.
"Hello Ms. Boswick. How are you holding up?"
The black-haired girl shrugged, her expression unchanging. "I've been better." She turned to Trucy and raised an eyebrow. "I think I recognize you… have we met?"
Trucy shook her head. "I don't think so, but hang on!" The young magician produced a blue top hat (Athena had no clue where it came from) and placed it on her head. She flashed a radiant smile. "Recognize me now?"
A barely identifiable sparkle appeared in Charity's eyes. "You're Trucy Wright! I'm honored to meet you," she said with only a hint of excitement in her voice.
"You were right, she doesn't really show her emotions." Trucy whispered into Athena's ear.
"Yes, and it's irritating." Athena whispered back.
"So, have you decided to take up my offer, Ms. Cykes?"
"Not so fast, I have a few questions first."
Charity sighed. "Alright, what do you want to know?
Athena thought back to the trial, specifically the moment where Charity was arrested, and why. "Tell me about why you went to the phone booth that night. If you had your phone on you, why didn't you just use it?"
Charity placed her hand on her forehead and groaned. "Geez, that was stupid. I had a bad memory lapse and now I'm accused of hiring an assassin for it. Whoop-dee-doo."
"A… memory lapse?"
"I've only had my phone for a couple months believe it or not, so I've been using payphones my whole life. When I saw the body, I think my brain went on autopilot and defaulted to trying to find a payphone even though I had a perfectly fine cell phone in my hands." Charity explained.
"Hmm… It's not a perfect explanation, and certainly inadmissible as concrete testimony in court, but this is good to know so that we can argue for this scenario if I decide to defend her."
Athena turned on Widget, wrote down the gist of Charity's statement onto a holographic document and put it in her case file.
"So, how about that shiny object? Do you still swear by its existence?"
"Yes, I know that I saw something shine in the graveyard that night."
Athena raised an eyebrow, but continued on: "And what about the crying?"
Charity closed her eyes and placed her index finger on her temple. "I heard that too, but only after I saw the glint and started walking over. I started running when I heard it. I guess you could say that the shine made me curious, and the crying made me alarmed."
"Nothing out of the ordinary there, I would probably react the same way. Although…"
"Do you have any idea what the shiny object was?"
"I still have no clue. If you showed it to me, I could probably identify it, but I was too concerned with Blake to pay attention to it that night."
"Unfortunately for you, no such object exists according to the police investigation."
Then a thought came to her. "Wait wait wait! Could it have been de Killer's calling card?"
Athena pulled up a photo of the card and showed it to the black-haired girl. Charity studied it for a moment before shaking her head.
"No, I don't think so. The thing I saw wasn't shaped like a card."
"Drat…"
"So how could it have disappeared?" Trucy asked.
Charity crossed her arms. "That caretaker must have done it, but because the police have nothing to prove the existence of a shiny object besides my testimony, he couldn't be accused of tampering with the crime scene."
"If your testimony was more concrete in identifying the object, maybe it wouldn't have turned out that way." Athena pointed out.
"Can't help you there, Ms. Cykes."
Athena made a note to investigate the mysterious shiny object and talk to Mr. Belle.
"Any ideas about the crime itself Ms. Boswick?"
"As I just mentioned, that caretaker is hiding something. If you take my case, I would recommend getting permission to look around his shack, though, that might not yield very much if he's smart."
Trucy smirked. "Even if they do bar us from entering, my expertise will ensure that we'll get a look around regardless!"
Charity's eyes widened slightly as Athena facepalmed. "Please Trucy, don't get arrested again. Your dad doesn't need another heart attack."
Trucy just giggled and knocked the brim of her hat with her fist and stuck her tongue out playfully.
Athena sighed as an amused smile materialized on her face. "Well, I think those are all of my questions."
"So… what do you want to do? Do you want to defend me, or walk away from the case?" Charity asked.
Athena thought it over for a moment. On one hand, she would have liked to relax after having defended Blake, but the trial barely answered anything about the actual case. It was a case of the prosecution being too quick to indict a suspect thanks to the trial system requiring cases to be solved extremely quickly. Athena weighed her interest in discovering the truth before coming to a conclusion.
"I'll defend you. Let's fill out the paperwork."
The smallest hint of a smile appeared on Charity's face. "Good. My parents will cover the costs."
The two quickly filled out the paperwork that officially recognized Athena as Charity's attorney. Once they were finished, Athena and Trucy prepared to leave the detention center.
Athena looked back at the girl behind the glass, who was watching them leave. "Just one more question, Ms. Boswick."
"Yeah?"
Athena looked down at her feet and held her right fist over her heart. "Does that cemetery have any special significance to you?"
Charity flinched as her right hand instinctively found its way to her right ear, presumably, as her black hair blocked Athena's ability to see it. "I… do not. Why do you ask?"
Athena frowned. "I knew it. There's discord in her voice whenever she talks about the cemetery. I need to keep that in mind."
"No reason, just wanted to know." she said aloud.
With that, Trucy and Athena left the visitor's room.
September 19th, 2029, 1:19 PM
Detention Center
Outdoor Parking Area
"Did daddy say which friend of his would be picking us up?" Trucy asked, who had now made her hat mysteriously disappear once again.
Athena turned on Widget and pulled up the message again. "He didn't say, just that they would take us to the crime scene at 1:30. That's in 10 minutes."
Trucy nodded. "So… what made you decide to defend her? I heard she was arrested at the trial you handled today."
"It was a really vague case," Athena mused. "The reason why we won was because the prosecution couldn't establish Blake's guilt. He was very quick to accuse Ms. Boswick once he dropped the charges, so I just want to make sure that any innocent parties are protected. That prosecutor is WAY too eager to arrest people. I'm also just curious to find out all of the answers to all of the unsolved mysteries."
"So… curiosity, then."
"I guess it boils down to that, mainly."
"Who is the prosecutor by the way?"
"His name is Sebastian Debeste. He kind of reminds me of Mr. Edgeworth with the way he moves, but he's also way less competent."
Trucy looked upwards off to the side at nothing in particular. "Debeste, huh? I may have heard that name a couple of times. How long has he been prosecuting?"
"Since he was seventeen, which by the way, is totally ridiculous."
"Seventeen? I guess that is young, but I've heard of younger."
"Your dad said that as well."
Their conversation faded from there and the two sat there in silence. Trucy pulled out the black notebook and began scanning its pages once more. Around a minute later, her two 'hair antennae' perked up as she turned to Athena, eyes wide with excitement. "Hey Athena~"
"Nein. Not a chance." Athena interrupted without looking Trucy's way.
"C'mon! It'll be fun!"
"Trucy, the last time I was your magic assistant, I ended up sawed into ninths."
Trucy scrutinized her for a moment. "You're still in one piece from what I can tell. Besides, for this one all you will need to do is jump off of the roof of a three-story building! Don't worry though, it's all magic, so you'll be fine!"
"I was cursed the day I agreed to be Trucy's magic assistant. Can you come back to the States already, Apollo? I don't know how much more of this I can take."
Before Trucy could think of more torture chambers to put Athena through, a car pulled up to the curb they were sitting by. It was a black sedan that seemed to be several years old. Whoever owned it was either pretty old or wasn't the first owner.
Trucy's eyes flashed in recognition as she stuffed the notebook back into her heart-shaped handbag and waved frantically to the silhouette in the driver's seat. The window facing them (shotgun side) rolled down and Athena got a full view of the driver. It was a woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties. She had soft brown eyes that evoked a sense of kindness and comfort, and long, mostly black hair that was held back by two braids that were tied together. Some of her hair was dyed red, which stood out quite a bit. She was wearing a long tan dress with a dark purple jacket. On her right wrist was an old watch, and on her left was a crudely-made bracelet, which had an assortment of white, cube-shaped beads with letters on them. Athena couldn't see what the letters spelled out from her angle. However, the part of her outfit that Athena was drawn to the most was a necklace made of string that held a purple magatama
She flashed a smile at them. "Hello Trucy! And… I presume you must be Athena Cykes?"
Athena flashed a peace sign at her. "That's me! Athena Cykes, Courtroom Révolutionnaire! Nice to meet 'cha!"
The woman chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Phoenix did say you were pretty lively. I'm Iris, by the way."
"Get in Athena, we're investigating a crime scene." Trucy called out, already buckled and seated in the back.
"How did she even get there? I didn't see her open the door!" Athena thought to herself. She turned back to Iris. "So… where can I sit?"
"Either in shotgun with me or in the back with Trucy. Pick your poison." Iris answered, her mouth curling into an amused smile with her second statement. Trucy giggled in the backseat.
Athena opened the shotgun door and sat down in the car. Iris switched the car into drive mode. "Alright, I hope you two didn't leave anything, because I'm not going back for it."
"WAIT!" Trucy hollered.
"I know you didn't forget anything, Trucy. And you could just pull it out of your Magic Panties if you did." Iris responded as she continued to drive out of the parking lot. Trucy pouted and crossed her arms, frustrated that she couldn't deliver on the punchline.
Athena chuckled at the young magician's misfortune before turning her attention to the driver "So… Ms. uh…"
"Just call me Iris."
"So Iris," Athena restarted without skipping a beat. "Tell me about yourself. What do you do?"
"Oh, talking about myself; my greatest weakness." Iris said, chuckling. "Well, I'm a student at Jargon University, studying criminology and psychology. I also do some whatever jobs for money."
"Jargon, huh? Isn't that the same university that Charity– WAIT!"
"Did you say that you're studying psychology?" Athena asked as Widget's screen turned yellow and adopted a surprised face.
"Well, yes. I am."
Athena's eyes sparkled, "Why has Mr. Wright never mentioned you? I'm a psychologist myself!"
Iris chuckled, "I heard that you were a psychology expert, and at such a young age! I couldn't believe it when I first heard from Phoenix that you not only earned your psychology degree, but also your attorney's badge both at 18!"
Trucy piped up from the backseat. "Yeah. How many grades did you skip again, Athena?"
"I have no idea!" Athena declared proudly, causing Iris and Trucy to laugh.
Athena shook her head and looked back at Iris. "Well hey, if you ever want some advice or help with your studies, I'll be ready and willing to offer!"
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Athena."
"What are you planning on using it for, by the way? Or are you just interested?"
"I actually have a very specific plan in mind." Iris answered. "I want to be a penologist."
Athena gasped. "You want to work in prisons and help rehabilitate criminals? That's super cool!"
"You know what that is, Athena?" Trucy asked from the back. "I had no clue what that was when I first heard her talk about it."
"It's one of the many careers you can pursue with a psychology degree. I explored multiple avenues with psychology before Mr. Wright introduced me to law, and penology was among them."
Trucy shrugged. "Well, there's a disturbing lack of magic in that profession, so it makes sense that I wouldn't know it."
"I don't want magic in a 100 foot radius of psychology after the torture that you constantly put me through." Athena retorted.
"Says the one with magic ears." Trucy countered.
Athena groaned as Trucy laughed. Athena never seemed to be able to get one over on the young magician.
Desperate for a change of topic, Athena turned to Iris, who herself had an amused smile on her face. "So Iris, how do you know the Wrights?"
The corner of Iris' mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, something that Athena didn't notice and Trucy wasn't at the angle to notice. What Athena did notice was her tone. "Well… I met Phoenix a long time ago in a story that is way too long and complicated to go into. I met Trucy a few years ago after I… err… nevermind." She trailed off.
"She's hiding a lot of emotion behind that, I guess I should take her word for it that the story is 'way too long and complicated'" Athena thought.
"You said a long time ago. How long?"
Iris instinctually brought her hand to her chin before putting it back on the wheel, knowing that she needed to focus on driving. "Like… a decade and a half? He wasn't a lawyer yet."
"Apparently Daddy was a huge dork back then." Trucy snickered.
Athena always thought her boss could be a little dorky, at least when he was in a good mood, but she was finding imagining anything past his occasional silliness to be hard to believe. "How dorky are we talking?"
Trucy shrugged and glanced at Iris. The woman in question seemed deep in thought for a quick moment, as if recalling something, before an amused smile slowly creeped up her cheeks, then that smile became a grin, then a giggle, then finally a full blown chortle.
"Thanks for your honest answer." Trucy quipped.
Iris calmed herself down after that, but didn't elaborate further.
"So, you met him in college. If that's so then are you just going back to take more courses?"
"...Something like that." Iris answered. A moment passed with no more discussion, so the older woman took the opportunity to change the subject. "Speaking of which, have you given any thought about going to college yourself, Trucy?"
"I've given it some thought." the young magician answered. "I'm still on the fence about it, leaning towards 'no'. I've heard it's a great place to discover what you love to do, meet new people, and gain opportunities. However… I'm already pretty set on what I'm already doing, and I get to meet plenty of people through doing magic. To be honest, it seems kinda redundant for me. However, there are fields outside of magic that I'm interested in at least learning more about. I'll admit it, being around three– two lawyers all day makes me interested in law. You all have infected me."
"And you'll have a better chance at meeting– how does Pearly say it? Your special someone." Athena chimed in.
"Hee hee. Shut up." Trucy giggled out while hiding her blush.
"You've thought a lot about this. " Iris commented. "Just, whatever you do, don't go to Jargon. It's a very low-level school specifically for people who couldn't get in anywhere else. You have the smarts to go anywhere."
Trucy smiled at the praise before a realization crossed her mind and caused her to tilt her head slightly. "...Are you secretly putting yourself down?"
Iris shrugged. "Maybe I am, or else I wouldn't be–"
"WATCH OUT!" Athena shouted.
Iris hadn't even noticed that she had taken her eyes off of the road. She snapped them back to focus on the road and immediately noticed that they were approaching a car stopped in front of a red light. The older woman slammed on the brakes as hard as she could, an action that lurched the car and its occupants forward. Thankfully, they were all wearing their seatbelts and thus didn't go flying. The car screeched to a halt just a foot behind the car ahead of them.
Everybody took a long moment to catch their breath. Athena gripped the door on her side and the side of Iris' seat with an iron hold, refusing to move even after the danger was gone. Trucy held her hand over her heart and breathed slow, heavy breaths. Iris did a combination of the two, gripping the steering wheel tighter than she had before and practically hyperventilating.
Once the excitement had died down, Iris' hold relaxed. "...See why I'm at Jargon now?"
Iris' quip was made just as Trucy had sucked in a breath, and it provoked an immediate laugh out of her, but because of how she had been breathing, it came out as a violent cough instead.
Athena's mode wasn't so easily swayed. "I don't feel safe with you driving anymore."
"Alright, show me your driver's license then, Athena."
"..."
"She doesn't have one." Trucy said on behalf since Athena didn't have the dignity to answer honestly.
"Guess you're stuck with me, then." Iris said.
The rest of the drive was uneventful for everyone except Athena, as she had taken it upon herself to closely inspect Iris' driving skills lest she have another near-accident. She did this without realizing that she lacked a lot of basic driving knowledge that she would have gained if she just decided to get her license. She would sometimes point out her educated criticisms to Iris, which the woman would brush off and then ask Athena to show off her nonexistent license.
Eventually, Iris pulled up to the side of the road and unlocked the doors. "Here we are. Hope your investigation goes well."
Trucy opened the right side door and bounded out of the car. "Thanks, Iris!"
"Yeah, thanks a lot! My offer still stands to help out in any psychology-related stuff!" Athena added.
"It was my pleasure, you two. And Athena, I think I may just take you up on that offer one of these days." Iris said with a smile. Letting her foot off the brake, she rolled up the shotgun window and shot out a quick farewell before speeding off.
Athena and Trucy waved until the older woman's vehicle was out of sight. Trucy turned around and started walking toward the graveyard. Athena continued to stare in the direction that Iris had left.
"What's up, Athena?" Trucy asked once she noticed Athena wasn't walking with her.
Athena flinched and whipped her head to the young magician. "Huh? Oh. It's nothing."
Trucy squinted and leaned in towards Athena's face with scrutinizing eyes. "Is that so?"
"I can't hide anything from her, can I?"
"Well… I noticed that Iris was wearing a magatama like Maya and Pearly do. So… I was wondering if she was related to the Fey Clan?"
"Oh, is that it?" Trucy said whilst retreating her face. "Actually, Iris is Pearly's sister!"
Athena took a second to process the information. When her brain finally comprehended Trucy's words– well, her response was quite loud. "WHAT? Pearly has a sister?" she exclaimed as she grabbed Trucy's shoulders.
Athena's mind raced with thoughts. "I never knew that! How come Pearly never mentioned her? How am I just meeting her now? Ugh! I have so many questions!"
"Hey Athena, I love hugs and all, but you're doing it wrong. You're supposed to wrap your arms around me, not grab my shoulders."
Athena snapped back to reality and let go of her friend. "S– Sorry Trucy. I just never knew that Pearly had a sister!"
Trucy smoothed out the new wrinkles on her cape that had appeared from Athena's hold. "Thanks for letting go. I was going to reenact a dozen magic tricks from Now You See Me on you if you didn't. As for Iris, she's pretty busy with school and work most of the time, so I guess there was just never a reason to bring her up."
"I guess… I hope she drops by the office sometime. I'd love to get to know her a bit more."
September 19th, 2029, 1:42 PM
Dark Meadow Cemetery
The two turned around. Close to them was a stone sign with the words "Dark Meadow Cemetery" engraved on it. Up ahead were multiple graves sticking out of a grassy field. Small tombstones, cross-shaped headstones, and even one or two large obelisks taller than Athena was. She wondered how much was paid to be buried under those.
Athena noticed that one area was crossed off with police tape over by a shack, so she walked over to it with Trucy trailing behind. Once they reached it, they noticed a white body outline in front of a medium-sized granite tombstone.
"This is definitely the scene. Now we just need permission to investigate." Athena mused.
"Normally, there's a detective or an officer camping out here that I could sweet talk into letting us in, but there's no one here. Isn't there anyone watching the scene? Anyone could just come in and tamper with it as they please!"
"Hahahaha! The security you feel is a false one, evildoers!"
Athena and Trucy whipped their heads to where the voice had come from: On top of the shack. What they saw was the silhouette of a woman blocking the sunlight. She was tall, likely taller than both of the girls, and was wearing a scarf that flowed and fluttered despite there being no wind to make it move in that way.
She struck a pose and began to monologue: "Even in the depths of night, when no other bird dares to take flight, one alone soars to shine the light of righteousness on the world's blight! And that one is me! For I am the Great Thief, Yatagarasu!"
The two girls, captivated by her performance, stepped back as the woman tucked her feet in. She leaped off the shack, did a somersault, and expertly landed in front of them.
The woman took a moment to grin at their stupor before introducing herself. "How do you do? I'm Detective Kay Faraday!"
Kay had a very striking appearance. She had green eyes and black hair tied into a long, wavy ponytail with a pink hair decor. She wore a pink shirt with white swirls, as well as a dark blue jacket and a pair of red gloves. Her feet were protected by a pair of long, black boots, while her upper legs were hidden by a pair of blue jean shorts. Most striking of all was her blue scarf around her neck, which adorned a golden badge. The badge looked like a pair of wings facing the same way with three legs coming from the bottom, all connecting into a circular centerpiece.
Athena broke out of her trance. "Bonjour! We're Charity Boswick's defense team. I'm Athena Cykes!"
"And I'm Trucy Wright!"
"Nice to meet 'ya! Anyway, since you are Charity's defense team, I assume that you're here to investigate?"
Athena flashed a peace sign at her. "That's right! Will you let us in?"
Kay nodded, "Sure! Seb's all about giving the defense a fair shot, so as long as I keep an eye on you and you don't mess up the crime scene, you're free to look around! And feel free to ask any questions you have!"
"Wait, really?" asked Athena.
"Yep!"
"Wow, that was really easy. I guess Trucy won't be sweet-talking anyone after all. She seems disappointed." Athena thought to herself. "I should probably ask her some questions, but first…"
Athena held up her badge for Kay to see.
"Ah, an attorney's badge, huh? Personally, I find the design a bit boring. The prosecutor's badge design is a lot more appealing."
"Don't hurt my badge's feelings…"
"Then again, my detective's badge that I keep in my pocket is also boring-looking, but I also have…" Kay grabbed the large gold-colored badge pinned to her shirt and displayed it for the two girls to see. "...this! My Yatagarasu badge! It tells everyone that they are in the vicinity of a Great Thief!"
"A thief? Aren't you a detective?" Trucy asked.
"I'm a thief and a detective! That's because the only thing I'm interested in stealing is the truth!"
"The… truth?"
"That's right! I steal the truth from those who wish to conceal it, and then I show it to the world! That is the life of the Yatagarasu!"
Athena leaned in and whispered into Trucy's ear. "She's a little eccentric, isn't she?"
Trucy giggled as her eyes sparkled. "I like her. She has a knack for presentation. She'd be right at home performing on stage."
Athena leaned away and turned back to Kay. "So Ms. Faraday, what do you think about the case so far?"
"Bleh." Kay stuck her tongue out. "Call me Kay, or Ms. Yatagarasu, or Ms. Great Thief. I get enough 'Ms. Faraday' down at the station. As for your question…" She crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "It's an interesting one, but to be honest, I'm pretty mad that we arrested Blake when no one thought that he was guilty, but I suppose that's what happens in this day and age where crimes have to be solved in half a week."
"Geez, I feel like everyone was pretty certain he was innocent. But why was he arrested to begin with?"
"Charity's testimony. She said she didn't think Blake was guilty, but she also gave a testimony that placed him on the scene first. We couldn't find any other evidence of another person's presence being there either, so we were pressured to arrest him since there was no one else."
"That's one part of our justice system that baffles me." Athena commented.
Kay sighed as her head drooped. "Tell me about it. Mr. Edgeworth's been working to get that changed for ages, but plenty of people in the higher courts like this efficient system. The only way to prolong an investigation is if a suspect isn't found or an initial defendant is found innocent and the police can't find someone else." Kay was speaking rather passively, but Athena could hear an immense amount of anger hidden in her voice.
The detective then looked up and smiled. "I respect Charity, though. She could have protected Blake by falsely testifying because she thought he was innocent, but she threw out her biases. Then again, that may have changed now…"
"Yeah, because Charity's the one in the hot seat now."
Kay's smile turned into a frown, as a downcast expression appeared in her eyes. "Poor Blake though. It's terrible that he lost his dad, and got accused of killing him."
"That's a lot of sadness…" Athena thought to herself. She then decided to change the subject. "So, how about now? What do you think of Charity?"
"Well, considering the body of evidence, as a detective, I am obligated to say 'I don't know'." said Kay, before she smirked and leaned in to the two girls. "But if you want the opinion of the Great Thief Yatagarasu, I say that she's definitely guilty."
Athena jumped back in surprise. "W-what? What motive could she possibly have?"
Kay shrugged. "We haven't established a connection between her and the victim yet, but my gut is telling me that she's suspicious. That's my take."
Athena recovered and glanced at the crime scene. "I think we're ready to look around now. May we?"
"Sure, I have disposable gloves for you to put on."
Trucy flashed her white magician's gloves. "I've already got some!"
"Do you want them to get dirty?" asked Kay. Trucy recoiled. "Exactly. Put on the gloves."
Kay pulled out a box of clear, disposable gloves. Trucy and Athena both put on a pair and ducked under the police tape.
"Let's see… What should I investigate first?" Athena mused to herself.
But before she could zero in on something, an unfamiliar hand landed on her shoulder. Her neck hairs stood on their ends as a voice whispered into her ear. "I won't rest until I've inspected every suspicious-looking nook and cranny."
Athena whipped around and held up her hands in a defensive manner. Kay was behind her, hiding her giggling mouth behind her fist. "Sorry about that, Athena. You just reminded me of someone."
The young attorney turned away to hide her flustered face. She wasn't expecting Kay to get that close. She instinctively turned to Trucy to see if she was planning on pranking her as well, but the magician was inspecting the grave that the body outline was positioned in front of. Athena walked over to her and took a look at the writing on the granite stone.
HERE LIES TREVOR ETHER
A FRIEND TO MANY
WHO HAD HIS LIFE STOLEN FROM HIM
2010-2026
"Sixteen." Trucy said, her tone distant and breathy.
Athena took another look at the dates and grimaced. Trucy was right, he had only lived for sixteen years. She imagined herself when she was sixteen. Still in Europe, studying psychology with all of her power, and still on a mission to save someone. The thought of dying with so much to look forward to and so much left to do terrified her.
She turned to Trucy, who continued to stare at the gravestone with an unreadable expression on her face. "Sixteen." she said again.
She was no doubt thinking the same things that Athena was, but she seemed more bothered by the exact age than anything else. Athena had the distinct impression that she was forgetting something.
Athena looked down to the body outline to examine it.
"The ground beneath the victim is muddy, that would mean that anything beneath the victim would be covered in mud. I should take note of this."
There were two other things as well. A red flower located within the outline, and a yellow one next to it.
"Beneath the victim is a flower. A red carnation, I think? If so, I guess Mr. Ether had a significant other. Imagine being around sixteen and losing your boyfriend…"
She turned her attention to the yellow one. "I'm not sure what this one is… It's by the gravesite, so it must be for Mr. Ether, so why wasn't it in front like the carnation was?"
She tapped Trucy on the shoulder. "Hey Trucy, do you know what this is." said Athena, pointing at the yellow flower.
Trucy blinked and looked to where Athena was pointing. She stared at it for half a second before shaking her head. "Daisies, lilies, nine-tailed flowers, and I guess roses too, that's about the extent of my floral knowledge. No clue what that is."
Athena sighed and stood up. She turned to Kay. "Do you know what that flower is?" she asked.
Kay didn't even look at it and instead simply shook her head. "You're asking the wrong person. I think Seb might know, though."
"Seb?" Trucy asked.
"Is that your nickname for Mr. Debeste?" Athena followed up.
Kay nodded, but didn't elaborate.
Athena shrugged. "Well, I guess we should go ask him then. Where is he?"
Kay pointed in a direction. "He's investigating the payphone area with some other officers. Don't be afraid to approach him. He's chill."
"Chill to everyone but Charity, it seems." Athena thought.
The young attorney took some pictures of the crime scene and took some notes. Once she was done, she waved goodbye to Kay and marched towards the payphone area with Trucy in tow.
Evidence
Princeton Hart's Autopsy Report: Victim died from a stab to the heart between 9:45 PM and 10:15 PM
Rusty Knife: The murder weapon. Has lost all of its luster and therefore doesn't reflect light.
Princeton's Corpse Photo: A photo taken by the police when they found the body.
Convention Flyer: Details a bunch of relevant information for a convention that took place on the night of the murder, including how there is a fireworks show that goes from 10:10 - 10:25 PM
Graveyard map: A map of where the body was found and the general layout of the cemetery.
Trevor Ether's Tombstone: The place where Trevor Ether was buried at the young age of sixteen. It's where Princeton was lying when his body was discovered.
Red Carnation: Was lying beneath the victim, and is covered in mud. I know it loosely has something to do with romantic love, but I don't know much more than that
Yellow Flower: Was lying near the victim, but is clearly intended to be placed Mr. Ether's grave. I have no clue what it is called or what it means.
Profiles
Athena Cykes (20): Me, myself, and I. I'm an employee of the Wright Agency and a psychology Expert.
Phoenix Wright (36): My boss. He's an infamous defense attorney known as the "Turnabout Terror".
Lotta Hart (34): Technically the client. She requested our services for the defense of her nephew, Blake.
Blake Hart (13): The defendant. He was out with his father on the night of crime. They got separated, and the next time they reunited his father was dead.
Princeton Hart (41): The victim. A single parent that took care of his only child, Blake.
Sebastian Debeste (27): The prosecutor for this case that kinda reminds me of the Chief Prosecutor in his mannerisms. He doesn't seem to like Charity Boswick.
Charity Boswick (19): A straight-faced college student. She was the first person on the scene aside from Blake and was the one who called the police. I find her a little unnerving.
The Judge (?): The Judge.
Ricky M. Belle (43): The second witness to the crime. Discovered Shelly de Killer's card at the scene and provided a decent theory for why Charity could be the assassin's client.
Shelly de Killer (?): An infamous assassin who has operated for several decades and has never got caught. Mr. Wright seems to have a history with him.
Trcuy Wright (18): Mr. Wright's daughter and the owner of the Wright Anything Agency. She's a stage magician with an incredible work ethic. She enjoys torturing– I mean having me along for her magic shows.
Iris (35): A student at Jargon University that is studying psychology and criminology. She's an old friend of Mr. Wright.
Kay Faraday (27): A detective and self-proclaimed Great Thief Yatagarasu. She's very fun-loving and free-spirited. She seems to know Mr. Debeste very well.
